Secrets We Hold Dear
by Sirus7009
Summary: Four years have passed since the destruction of the Adaphagos. The heroes of Brave Vesperia had slowly drifted apart, and finally found a way to catch up again at a festival on Nam Cobanda Island. Four years can change a young girl a lot, and so can it change the feelings of a certain hero. YurixRita if you want a lemon say so in reviews, otherwise it's a oneshot.


Secrets We Hold Dear

Such an odd place it was. Nam Cobanda Island, in the heat of a lighted festival, winding down from a frenzied daytime string of contests and games ending with a bonfire dance. Lanterns flickered and waved in a light wind and illuminated just enough for an eerie but romantic ambience.

Yuri smirked as he leaned against the wall furthest from the crowd. He still wasn't one for these events, but this was a wonderful time for the old crew to get together and catch up. Four years had passed, and over time the heroes had lost their usual chain of contact, only speaking when something important came up. The guild was always busy nowadays, leaving little time for Captain Carol and Yuri to visit old friends, so when they received a letter of invitation from Estellise, it was nothing short of eagerly accepted.

He had to admit, though, he wasn't expecting to be brought to such an odd place again for this. Sure, it was a fun festival, if not weird. Everything here was unique, there were toys and games that you couldn't find anywhere else in Terca Lumeris, and the technology was far more advanced, yet even before the defeat of the adaphagos they never ran on blastia. Yes, this festival was fun…

But Yuri still held true to his old ways. He liked fun to an extent, but he'd already reached that extent. While Raven was flirting with girls in the festival, as Judith finally taught the naïve princess to play poker like a pro, with Karol enjoying games, his trusted companion Repede relishing a moment away from guild duties just outside of town, only one other friend seemed to be remotely interested in this bonfire dance…

He glanced toward the curious mage, who was dressed quite extravagantly compared to her usual choice of attire, donning the wear that she had earned on this very island through her genius. Now that genius brain was wracking itself trying to understand the technology, keeping herself turned as far away from everyone else in attempt to hide her true reason for being in this plaza; Yuri knew her too well, much to her chagrin. He couldn't see it, but he knew she was blushing brilliantly.

His attention turned to the center of this lantern lit fest, the entirety of the crowd bustling around as couples linked hands as the bonfire was lit, lighting far more than Yuri expected of the grounds. He looked back to Rita, who stared in awe before catching Yuri's gaze; he grinned slyly at her, even more so as she blushed even brighter and looked away.

He was enough of a man to know that she held feelings for him, but he wasn't foolish enough to approach her at the age she was before. But now… Time has passed splendidly, leaving a bit of room for him to be more provocative.

He stood straight then strolled casually towards her, grinning even more as she looked away, yet kept her eyes locked on him from their corners. When only a couple feet away, he held out his hand, leading her to look at his palm, then into his eyes, "Might I have this dance, milady?"

Rita scoffed arrogantly, turning away defiantly… Yet her left hand drifted forward, finally clasping his right tightly. "Fine, but only so I can see an example of having two left feet in person."

"You'd be surprised" Yuri chuckled as he pulled, twirling her around in tune with the beat before locking his left hand with her right, gently moving the two of them back and forth with the rest of the crowd.

"H-How…? When did…?" Rita stuttered, blushing lightly before regaining control of her mouth, "Since when does a vigilante know how to dance?"

"Hey, Flynn had to have _someone_ to practice ballroom dancing with. Kind of a requirement for knights to at least know how to dance with the higher ups."

"You mean… You were his "girl" in these practice sessions?" Rita's eyes shone with a mischievously light, "that's quite an interesting secret to share so suddenly."

Yuri smirked before twirling her again, chuckling as she stumbled for a moment before righting herself, "Hey, some secrets show themselves without saying," He winked at her slyly before continuing their dance, "Some louder than others…."

Rita's blush exploded like her Meteor Storm. She pushed away from him only to be grabbed and spun, lowered and held just above the ground, their faces only inches apart much to her chagrin. Her breath slowed as she felt Yuri's breath against her face. "Wh… Whoa, hold on…"

Yuri lifted her up once more, though he kept them close together to tease her further, "So… Got any secrets you want to share, Rita?"

"No… Nothing!" She blurted out, her blush burning like a fire storm on her cheeks. Below her breath she murmured something, hoping that Yuri didn't hear, but his ears were sharper than she thought.

"What was that…? Not that aren't already…?" he leaned in further, keeping their heads only inches, barely centimeters apart.

Rita's breathing became quick and staggered as she searched for the words. She lowered her head, letting her hair cover her eyes, then finally spoke, "None that aren't already loud enough… apparently…"

Yuri's eyes widened. He truly didn't expect her to break like that. Hearing her admit something like this was nothing short of invigorating to him. He broke the mage's rock solid emotional barrier and… Wait, did she just admit to loving him outright or was she-

Another mischievous grin flowed upon Rita's lips, though her cheeks were still blazing, showing that despite her attempt to play with Yuri's head, her admittance was indeed what Yuri was hoping for. She enjoyed her moment of seeing him contemplate before he came to his conclusion, causing her to lower her head again as he spun her once more.

As he brought her close as the tune grew slower, she leaned her head against his chest. Over these past four years, she had grown well. She was already tall for a fifteen year old, and now the top of her head reached just above his chin, though she could still comfortably rest her head like she was now. The rest of her body had grown well too. Her chest was nothing to Judith's, of course, but she now at least filled the outfit she wore now quite well, to the point where the crest of her top revealed a bit of cleavage.

And it was quite well known that Yuri never minded eye candy.

"Hey Yuri…" Rita whispered as loud as her blush and embarrassment would allow.

"Yeah?"

"Can you keep a secret…?"

"When have I ever not been able to?"

Rita drew a sharp breath and bit her lower lip, an instant sign that she was deep in thought. What was she up to…?

"I love you…"

And now Yuri's cool demeanor was lost. He finally stumbled, though only for a moment, "H-Hey! Watch what you're doing! I can't keep carrying you, you know!" Rita scolded him, losing her quietness quite quickly.

"Hey, if not for me you would have ended up on the ground countless times by now. I'm the one carrying here."

"Alright then, Mr. Know It All, teach me how to dance like a woman…" She grinned slyly once more, "Hold me like Flynn held you."

Yuri tripped again, though once more caught himself. With a sigh he stopped, took her left hand into his right, lifted it up and then directed Rita's right hand to his side, "Keep your hand here." He smiled as she nodded, and then he moved his left hand down to her side. It certainly was less awkward to him to finally have his hand on a _girl's_ lower side as compared to Flynn's, but it certainly was awkward for Rita.

"Just where do you think you're placing that hand?"

"Just trust me. This is how it's done. Don't make me relive the nightmares with Flynn. He still teases me about it."

Rita sighed, then smiled, "Alright." She shivered as Yuri tightened his hand teasingly, though she simply bore the blush and allowed him to lead.

"Step… Step… Lean, then twirl…" Yuri recited each move, straining to remember every move himself, "Now back…"

Rita's eyes were teasing him. She admitted to him, and now she wasn't going to let their eyes unlock their gaze. Her features had softened in a way that Yuri had never seen. He wasn't quite sure how it took him until this moment, but he finally saw it. She was a full grown woman, and…

"Hey…"

"Hmm?"

"Can you keep a secret also?"

Rita thought quietly before finally replying, "Yeah."

Yuri brought her down again, bringing them even closer than before, "I love you too."

Rita gasped as Yuri brought her back up, then looked away as he brought her in close once more. She stayed quiet as Yuri continued to lead their dance. He let the thought sink in, but as the quiet dragged on, he grew worried. She had admitted to him… And now he had admitted to her. Why was she being so quiet? "Rita?"

"It's a secret I will hold dear…"

"Huh?" Yuri had no chance to respond as Rita lifted her head and thrust forward, locking her lips with his. Now Yuri's thoughts went wild. Was this really Rita? Had four years changed her this much? Was he dreaming? Had she smacked him and left him in a wonderful coma?

He could taste the yakitori… He hadn't eaten that tonight… but she had. That was too real… This was real. And why the hell was he thinking so hard about this without doing anything!? His arms broke their dancing positions and locked together behind her, dragging her closer as he deepened the kiss. No longer could he hear the beat of the music, but instead both his heart and hers. He didn't care if the others saw, and he doubted she did either. Right now, it was just the two of them.

A moment he would hold as dear as her secret admittance.


End file.
